Watching in Horror as the Russians Destroy Themselves (Again)

In polling data it published on April 11, 2013, the Levada Center asked Russians whether they’d like to see Vladimir Putin continue in power in 2018 when his third term expires, or be replaced.

Only 22% of Russian respondents said they’d like to see Putin retain power. 47% said they’d like to see somebody other than Putin or Dmitri Medvedev take power, while 8% said they’d like to see power returned to Medvedev’s hands. In other words, a clear majority — 55% — of Russians do not want Putin to seize a fourth term as president.

This is the third time in the past year that Levada polling has shown a majority of Russians rejecting a fourth term for Putin. In August 2012 57% opposed this outcome, and in December 2012 51% did so. One year ago, in March 2012, 49% were opposed to a fourth term for Putin.

Another result was still more interesting. For the first time since Levada began asking the question (in March 2004), less than a majority of Russians said it was a good thing for the country that Putin had virtually unlimited power. The first time the question was asked 68% of Russians said it was a good thing; in March 2013, only 49% said so.

But this hardly means that Putin will actually be replaced. A Levada poll from February 2013 shows that a whopping 65% of Russians think Putin has brought the country more good than bad. Another February 2013 Levada survey shows that Putin would get three times more votes than any named rival if an election were held today, and shows his job approval rating at a heady 65%. It has never been less than 60% at any time in the past two years. As we reported recently, Russians blame their bureaucracy and their legislature for their troubles, not Putin.

Russians could have turned Putin out of office in 2012, of course, but instead they reelected him in a landslide, not even calling for a second round to select between the two best candidates. They instinctively seem to know it’s not a good idea for Putin to remain in power forever, especially not with unlimited power, but they appear unwilling to actually place power in the hands of any other specific person.

“Another February 2013 Levada survey shows that Putin would get three times more votes than any named rival if an election were held today”

That statement, however, deserves to be qualified. Putin’s control of the judicial system, prosecutors, and the media, has virtually ensured that there are no credible opponents. Look at what has been done to Navalny, or Khordokovsky, or an even better example with Drugoi, whose opposition to Putin and the “anti-Magnitsky” law for punishing Russian orphans provoked the Kremlin into drumming up pedophile charges against him.

The data on the Russian electorate’s preferences reflects the sad reality that most Russians realise they will not be presented with any viable candidates. So it is a choice of the lesser of evils.

Yes, many skin grafts picked up no doubts from the cadavers of Chinese dissidents…Like with Xi Jinping’s upper class party nomenklatoura, a diet of eggs and fetuses for breakfast,
no doubts…nothing like the Chinese cannibal diet for fresh and supple skin…